A Gem Without Lustre
by Voltear
Summary: Ruby awakens aura-less in a psychiatric hospital, diagnosed with hallucinatory delusions of grandeur. However, when a fellow patient corroborates Ruby's supposedly false memories from Beacon, a sinister mystery behind the pristine facade that is the Grimm Institute of Mental Health begins to surface.


_Bright… too bright_.

Ruby awoke to a canvas of intruding illumination, a cascade of white that burned away her dreams into ether. She moaned piteously as she tried - to no avail - to keep her eyes shut and the searing light out. Her mind was jumbled and confused by the heinous awakening, and her limbs felt as slow as a sloth's. A suffocating weight pressed upon her limbs, as if she were being squeezed under the burden of a thousand pillows. Her enfeebled mind insisted on going back to sleep, even as a pervasive light battered her eyelids incessantly. Upon instinct, she attempted to flip over and bury her head within her soft pillows, only to whine in annoyance as her limbs refused to comply. Her body seemingly trapped within a cocoon of blankets.

"Yaaaang," she whined piteously as she struggled against her captive sheets. This was not the first time her sister had doomed her to a linen cage. The last time Yang had played this prank Ruby had been stuck cocooned for well over an hour. Her cries for her sister ignored, Ruby continued to struggle against her bearings. It was impossible, and Ruby surrendered to her fate. She attempted to open her eyes, only to recoil at the dizzying light.

"Yang! This isn't funny!" she said as she quickly shut her eyes. This was starting to become a horrible morning. Ruby attempted to bring her hands up to rub her tired eyes but found they were stuck fast along her sides, immobilized by Yang's bindings. Her continued struggle to shimmy out of Yang's cocoon seemingly bearing no fruit. Her patience tried, Ruby let out a low hiss of annoyance. She was too tired to deal with her sister's silly games, "Yang please! I want to move!" She punctuated her pleading with a renewed struggle against her blankets.

An eerie silence answered her, causing Ruby to pout mightily. It seemed her sister had gotten bored and wandered off. Yang could be terrible when she was in a pranking mood! Almost as bad as when she was in a punny mood! This was terrible day for her sister's shenanigans too, it was the last day before the new semester. Exasperated, Ruby resigned to a full awakening and squinted through tired eyes.

A dizzying array of bright pervaded her field of vision, and she could hardly see through the shifting blur. Ruby blinked away growing tears as her eyes struggled to adjust to the too bright lights that assaulted her vision. The struggle only made her thankful that she was not nearsighted like some of her classmates. In time, the world began to orient itself and vague tones of colors began to visually solidify. Tones of color that eventually dissipated into white. Sheer, blinding white.

 _What?_

Ruby blinked in surprise as her vision finally started to gain focus. Heedless of her sleepy tears she strained to open them further.

 _Huh?_

Team RWBY's dorm room did not have white walls. It never had white walls. The walls should be a kind of brownish beige that Ruby never could identify properly. But not white! Who had put a white wall in front of Ruby when she was sleeping! Yang was starting to become ridiculous! Abruptly, she caught herself and her fevered breathing slowed.

 _Calm down Ruby! You're a big girl! This must be some sort of mistake!_

It had to be. Maybe Yang and the others had decided to renovate the room? Ruby slowly shifted her head to the side, expecting her sister to jump teasingly into view. Her eyes widened and she recoiled. Another white wall.

 _Whaa… where am I?_

Contrary to popular belief Ruby was not stupid. Her dorm room did not have white walls. She was no longer in her dorm room. Gone were the precious red curtains, sliced and resewn for personality. The posters and paintings on the wall. The familiar bunkbed on the other side of the room, where Yang should be snoring in a haphazard state. Instead as her gaze scanned her surroundings she saw only walls. Four walls to be exact, painted in clean industrial white that held up a ceiling of blinding light. Walls that were bare and smooth, devoid of any fixtures or personality. Homogenous in length and height with no breaks for windows, except for a singular door – also painted white – that camouflaged unassumingly with the room's color scheme. Her dorm room had been small, but this place was positively _puny_. It was the size of her bathroom! At most!

A creeping feeling blossomed within her gut, as Ruby bit her lip nervously. This cold, tiny room was no bedroom, no place of rest. It was a _cell_.

"Yang… this isn't funny," Ruby implored quietly, well aware of the silence that dominated answer. She shifted uneasily in her blankets, droplets of salty sweat breaking across her brow as she considered renewing her struggle.

She was in a bed. But akin to the room around her, the piece of furniture was alien and unfamiliar. Instead of her rather haphazard top bunk supported by white linen and rope she found herself in a squat frame barely an inch off the ground. Instead of her comfy Beacon-issued blankets there was merely a thick heavy sheet wrapped around her body. A clean white cloth that seemed to be attached to several locking mechanisms that were chained to the bedframe. Even with her strength her limbs could hardly move in the immobilizing position. Any attempt to shimmy or break her bindings resulted in stiff opposition. She was a prisoner. The locks and too clean covering eerily resembling those awful horror movies Yang forced her to watch.

She shivered. This was not the time to think about horror films.

Ruby was a huntress. She was expected to battle humanity's greatest foe. Thus, she calmed her increasingly harried breaths and took stock in her situation. She ignored her bindings and the restrictive nature of her bed. The locks and wrap were tight enough to trap her limbs but gave her enough freedom to shift her head to different directions. The set up was efficient and professional. She had no idea who her captors were – she was beyond thinking Yang was pranking her – but they already seemed as meticulous as her partner Weiss.

The morning mental haze that slowed her mind was beginning to fade, and Ruby bit her lip in thought. Cautiously, as if creeping through a den of beowolves, she let her eyes observe her surroundings once more. There must be something she had missed - something to explain her situation, this nightmare. She felt a sudden urge to slap herself. This had to be a dream. She had fallen asleep in Beacon, where she should have been safe!

Maybe there was a hint or explanation in her memory? Ruby wracked her brain for a hint, for any clue. Mere wisps of yesterday's memories remained, memories of a brief training session with Weiss and Yang. Fragments of reading with Blake as well as a normal evening with performing maintenance on Crescent Rose. There was nothing to indicate she had been in some sort of conflict. No prophetic dream or symbolistic nightmare. There was nothing. Her conclusions left a dry taste in her mouth, and she held back a whine of distress.

 _Stop it Ruby! You're a huntress! You're stronger than this!_

Her mind flashed through memories beating Roman and his goons at the dust shop, of stopping the White Fang at the docks. Ruby was more than just capable, she was excellent. A prodigy. If she could enter Beacon two years early she could free herself from this cage. An inner fire ignited within her as she thought of Yang, Weiss, Blake, and all her friends and family. They must be searching for her, but she would not wait uselessly. She was no maiden in distress.

Ruby was no stranger to aura. It powered her semblance after all. A supersonic boost of speed and reaction time that was the lynchpin to her techniques. Ruby also knew of the importance of aura as a crystallization of the soul and as a shield for one's body and mind. With practiced confidence, she took a deep breath before pumping aura into her limbs, strengthening them – enforcing them – into sinewy weapons. A burning warmth glowed from her veins, as if someone had poured liquid lava into her blood. Ruby huffed in exertion, as she mentally visualized her aura enforcing her body. Memories of countless hours of practice and instruction from her professors and Uncle swirling in her mind.

She felt aglow. As if her very soul were convalescing within her limbs. Taking a deep breath she _pushed_ , ready to snap out of her bindings as easily as unwrapping a present.

Nothing.

Nervous beads of sweat ran down her neck, as Ruby's pupils widened. Once again, under the mocking stare of her four white walls she pushed, leveraging what little weight she could against her prison. A wall of resistance met her on all sides. The bindings remained unmoved. Her body lay trapped within. Ruby coughed and chuckled to no one in particular, her body shaking with effort, "I guess I'm out of practice?"

Ruby was not out of practice. Ruby did not have Yang's specialization in enriching her strength with aura, but the rose was no stranger to the technique. Aura was amongst the first subjects a huntress was taught. Aura was the foundation. It was what made huntresses fundamentally huntresses. Ruby shivered, nervous tension gathering within her body as if she were a spring wound too tight. A dark and foreboding feeling slithering forth from her veins, mirroring the looming walls of her prison as they towered over her.

Her aura was gone.

Missing. Nonexistent. Disappeared. A void of indecipherable emptiness now sat where there was once a comforting glow. A puzzle with missing pieces. A band without its key instrumentalist. She felt naked under her sheet. It was indescribable, and to Ruby – who had known aura since she could walk – it was impossible.

Aura did not disappear. It did not fly away like the birds come winter. Aura was a manifestation of the soul, the vehicle to living and breathing life. Even if Ruby had not become a huntress she would still have an aura as a consequence of bearing a _soul_. But now…

An icy chill ran down the small of her back. She shook to her very core, a nervous flutter traveling through her veins as goosebumps ran rampant across her skin. Ruby felt cold, colder than she had ever felt in her life. An arctic breeze torturing her limbs to no end unbidden by the heavy cloth that bundled her. A pain blossomed from behind her eyes as her brain ran on an endless, fearful loop. A hitched sob escaped her lips, one that threatened to evolve into a pitched scream of despair.

Then the revelation hit her. A tide of fear and worry that broke against the bank of Ruby's mind. Her rational mind tremored with disbelief and horror, relinquishing its hold over her body as it retreated into mourning. As if someone had flipped a switch upon her, Ruby exploded into action.

Hoarse, incomprehensible cries and screams erupted from her lips. Bereft of words, filled with emotion. Her guttural screams tore at her throat and tears escaped her eyes to wet her face in a clear watery sheen. She thrashed mightily. Her kicks bucking against her restraints like a prize stallion. Her hips twisting and turning, providing leverage for her trapped torso and arms as they battered against her cloth prison. Her metal bedframe shook as if struck by thunder. The weight of her struggle lifting the bed a fraction of an inch before it landed with a resounded clang to the floor. Her head shook a mile a minute, her short hair flaying through the air like a whip. Her sweat mixed with her fear, and her body ran warm with exertion.

High-pitched screams turned into long and drowning wails. Wails only interrupted by screeches of frustration and bitter coughs from a battered throat. The few thoughts in her head ran endlessly on repeat, her mind focused only on survival and emotion. What little logic she had awoken with had been wiped away to introduce a more feral storm. But where her throat endured its torment, her body did not. Without aura she lacked the monstrous endurance known by the huntsman. The quick healing and warm glow that comforted her limbs. Quickly, her body burned for relief – for an end to the struggle.

Ruby was many things. Young. Naïve. Awkward. Slow-witted. But she did not give up. She _never_ gave up.

The huntress redoubled her efforts to the protests of her sore muscles. Her mind focused only on one things, _escape_. Without thinking, she bit down hard upon the sheet to no particular reason other than to vent her frustration and anger. It was better than surrendering to the void of despair that had shadowed over her very soul.

"Ruby! Stop it Ruby! Calm down!" a voice cried out accompanied by running footsteps.

Ruby's eyes widened at the assertion and her head turned, spitting out her sheet in the process. She had been so focused on her efforts the entrance of another human had gone completely unnoticed. Her feverish eyes tore through the newcomer. A white coated man kneeling alongside her bedframe, his arms reaching for her shoulder. A singular pink stripe running through a mop of dark brown hair.

Ruby's struggle screeched to a halt even as her mind back peddled and slipped into a dizzying mental hole. Her limbs no longer pounding against her restraints, she was distinctly aware of her haphazard state. The mess of phlegm and tears on her face, the sheen of sweat that soaked through her clothes, her sheet; and a vicious primal scream that continued through the air.

It took her a second to realize the scream was her own.

"Shhh Ruby, shhh. Everything is going to be ok. Please, take a deep breath and calm down," the man who could only be Ren intoned in his usual reassuring tenor. His melodious voice caused her to shiver, as if he was weaving a spell with his lips. Tension faded. The coiled spring began to loosen and Ruby took hurried breaths between embarrassing sniffles, "Are you okay Ruby? Do you need someone to talk to? Did somebody have a bad dream?" Ren's warm tone was framed by an unusually reassuring smile from the normally stoic boy. He was too close to her face, and his normally hard eyes were too soft. His face was framed by an air of gentleness and compassion completely alien, and the foreboding feeling returned in full force. Ruby held back the beginnings of bile in her throat. His tone was as sweet as sugar and oddly patronizing. It was a direct contradiction to Ren's normal self.

The huntress tried to communicate her misgivings only to find her throat too battered to make comprehensible sounds. Instead her eyes narrowed at the white coated man, her lips forming a familiar pout that tasted a salty mess of tears. The taste frankly reminding her of her monstrous state as she went rigid with embarrassment.

"Here," Ren said quietly, as he took a hand cloth from his pockets. Ruby burned as red as her namesake as he wiped the tears and phlegm from her face. With cautious fingers he swept aside her stray dark bangs, "There we go. Are you feeling better Ruby?"

At a loss for words, and with her throat sore to boot Ruby nodded slowly. She was grateful for the surprising act of kindness, even if the absence of her aura's warm familiar glow continued to loom over her. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Do you need me to stay with you Ruby?" the dark haired man asked politely, a wide smile revealing perfectly lined white teeth. Ruby shifted uncomfortably.

Her throat felt as dry as the deserts of Vacuo but she managed to rasp out a few scratchy syllables, "Ren… what's going on? Where… where am I?"

The man's ever-present smile seemed in danger of slipping. His eyes furrowed in confusion as he made to loosen Ruby's restraints – to the girl's relief, "Curious. I don't remember giving you my full name Ruby. Please however, continue to refer to me as Nurse Lie amongst others in the hospital."

The full force of her sore muscles hit Ruby as Ren began to relieve her restraints. The huntress felt weak, weaker than she had ever been before. Her heart pounded a hurried beat, as a feeling of dread - of _wrongness_ began to swirl in her mind, "Nurse? Hospital?" she ventured tentatively with parched lips. A hoarse cough following at the heel of her questions.

Ren tutted wordlessly, and removed a small bottle of water from underneath his coat. A small bottle capped with a suction tip similar to a sports drink. A personal carrier. Ruby's cheeks tinted pink but she did not turn away. Her mouth wrapped around the bottle's nozzle and she drank greedily, even if it irked her to be fed water as if she was some toddler or invalid.

The nurse chose not to speak while she drank the bottle dry, instead Ren waited patiently for her to finish. Ruby's mind and throat sighed in relief. She had never felt so parched in her life, so needy for life's sacred liquid. Soon the bottle was empty, and Ren placed the container on the blindingly white floor. The huntress squeaked a quiet thanks, as Ren went back to work on her restraints.

"Ruby? Are you having trouble remembering things?" Ren asked seriously from his position kneeled position. A small pop resounded in the room, as the Ruby's final restraint was unlocked by the dark haired nurse. Immediately, the massive pressure on Ruby's limbs faded. The huntress tentatively shifted a leg and found no wall of resistance. She was free. Ruby immediately moved to capitalize on her new found freedom but found her limbs overcome by a bout of stiffness. It was as if she had not moved her legs and arms in a long time.

She snapped out of her elation, recalling that Ren was asking her a question. He seemed to be observing her movements with a hint of amusement as if he was privy to some secret inside joke. Ruby loved jokes but her mouth felt full of ash as she spoke, "I – I don't know. I remember going to sleep in my dorm room at Beacon. I don't remember getting hurt… I saw you! You were eating dinner with me and my sister yesterday!" Ruby said accusingly, pointing a shaky finger at the white coated nurse.

Ren merely hmm'd in thought before shaking his head sadly, "I was afraid of this. Ruby we are going to have to see your doctor again," he hardly reacted to her pointed finger, merely brushing the offense aside as he moved to lift her up from her bedframe.

Ruby flinched from the sudden contact. Unfamiliar with anyone but her family and her team intruding so closely upon her personal space. She tried to resist with aching limbs as Ren attempted to steady her on her feet. His hands felt as cold as ice. Ruby found the whole process intensely discomforting. The biting cold of the floor on her bare feet only punctuating the eerie situation.

Away from her warm, if thin sheet, Ruby shivered. She seemed to be dressed in a thin sleeveless shirt colored the horrifyingly bright yellow that Yang always seemed to love. Beige sweatpants clashed terribly with her top, the fabric clinging to legs – wet with perspiration. Ren made no such indication that he noticed her disheveled state, motioning instead towards the door. He kept a firm grip around her shoulders and kept her steady as the two walked away from her imprisonment.

"I'm… I'm so confused. Ren – I mean… Nurse Lie? What is going on?"

The man gave her a reassuring smile as he struggled with the door's lock with a single hand, "Do not worry Ruby. The doctor will answer all your questions," her eyes trailed the ring of keys he quickly stored into his coat pockets. A dozen escape plans sprang to life in her head, only to die by quick logic. Ruby knew little of her surroundings, only that Ren or some look alike was somehow involved. She was missing her… her… _aura_ and felt far weaker than normal. She knew enough that any immediate attempts to escape could only end in failure… and drastic consequences.

Ruby knew little about reading people. But she knew Ren. A little lazy, somewhat severe, but ultimately loyal and compassionate. The warmth was there but an unusually tense air surrounded him, as if he were ready to spring to action in a moment's notice. She could not ignore the strength of his arm. The limb entrapping her as tightly as her bed restraints, solid and unrelenting. His touch was not the touch of a friend. She also sensed slight ticks in his bright smile and composure. It was is if he was nervous - nervous of _her_.

She let Ren guide her out of her room… cell… whatever and into the attached hallway. The hallway seemed to be a scene straight out of a movie. Clean walls of institutional white that held up a ceiling of pervasive lighting that mirrored her cell. The floor was divided by distinctly lined tiles that alternated between black and white like a checkerboard. She shivered from the floor's cool touch – even colder than her room – and grasped onto Ren instinctively. He looked over briefly but said nothing.

Over a dozen doors that mirrored her own lined the hallways. Completely homogenous in appearance and covered in extremely complicated locks and bars. Ruby felt her mouth dry at the sight. Small signs seemed to be engraved into the plaster, numbering the rooms. She read her own. An assuming four lettered number on a white background. _1962_.

"Ruby, are you able to walk on your own?"

Ren's voice snapped Ruby out of her mental musings. Her eyes focused on the dark haired man, before she gave a tentative nod. Painfully aware of her own aches, she removed herself from his strong grasp. Her close contact with the nurse gone, Ruby felt the full force of the hallways cool environment. Yet she persevered. She steadied herself with a soundless gasp, balancing upon icy heels. Her body felt alien and stiff as if she were a plastic doll, her arms threatening to pinwheel as she struggled to find her center of balance.

It was horrifying. Yang had always called her a klutz. As a little girl she always tripped over little things, never aware of her own balance. But that phase had been over long ago. She was a big girl now and her momentary weakness irked her to no end. Ren moved to help her but she held a defiant hand up, signaling her own independence. A couple seconds past before she settled solidly onto the floor, confident of her own spatial awareness.

"Ok R-Nurse Lie… I'm ready."

The two proceeded down the hall silently. Ren seemingly unable or unwilling to make conversation and Ruby too shy to initiate. She followed slightly behind the nurse, but noticed he kept a watchful eye on her speed; as if she were about to take off at any minute. Cursory glances at the hallway's many doors revealed nothing, only that wherever she was… it was big.

Which… made no sense. She had been to Vale General once, the only hospital of repute in Vale and it looked nothing like this. She bit her lip as she casted furtive glances behind her. _Where_ was she?

Soon the hallway gave way to a singular metal door. Even from afar Ruby could see the heavy locks on its white-coated frame. A gruff looking man in a blue uniform stood beside the door, eyeing Ren and Ruby critically from behind a blue cap. Ruby read the tag over his right breast as it came into view.

 _Guard Little_ , _Grimm Institute of Mental Health_.

She blinked. Re-reading the man's tag even as his eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was no such place as the _Grimm Institute of Mental Health_. A brief whisper of panic clutched her heart as she shook with confusion. The man was staring at her openly now and seemed about ready to pounce.

"Gordon," Ren greeted, as he patted Ruby on the shoulder comfortingly. The guard visibly relaxed at the action and tilted his cap in greeting, "We are going to see Ruby's doctor for an update."

"Understood," Gordon replied tersely. Ruby looked away, his stare was as piercing as Crescent Rose.

 _Crescent Rose_.

She paled at the realization. Her baby could be anywhere! The guard was now staring at her curiously, only looking away when Ren began pushing her by her shoulder through the metal door, his voice a low whisper, "Come along Ruby. Let's not linger here."

Ruby obediently followed, her mind swirling with fear and questions. Her vision darted from side to side, scanning for possible avenues of escape. Only the promise of answers kept her from straying from this faux version of her friend.

The corridors beyond the door were a sharp contrast to her hall. The walls were still painted white but were lined with a friendly tone of orange. Oak doors instead of metal lined the passageways. The few open rooms Ruby passed seemed to be far more friendly and inviting than her cell, stocked with comfy furniture and painted in various colors. The difference was as stark as day and night.

 _Window!_

She couldn't help herself. Her sore legs crying out Ruby rushed ahead of Ren to peer out a massive glass frame. A beautiful view met her. She was overlooking a large valley covered in green and white. Snow covered mountains framed the picturesque scene. Forests of pine bosomed a frozen river, their branches holding up a blanket of snow. Even from a distance she could make out wispy lines of smoke, evidence of a civilization somewhere amongst the greenery. It was breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and completely foreign.

There was no snow in Vale. No pine trees in Vale. No mountain system cradling rivers and settlements in Vale. Not even Atlas held such features – or at least Weiss had not mentioned anything. Her initial excitement shrank to a mere whisper of emotion. She felt an intense pressure on her heart, as if she were in the ocean, losing her breath amongst pounding waves.

 _Where am I?_

"It's beautiful isn't it? I make sure to look out this view every day," Ren had sidled up to her side, his face betraying his ponderous mood. Ruby glanced at his features and suck in a gasp of surprise.

Here were the features that made up her friend. The quiet and thoughtful expressions. His face lined with a softness that seemed to emit an intense patience. The light from the window seemed to break upon his face, and his smile seemed… genuine. She could not believe this was anyone other than _her_ Ren. But how?

"But… I'm sorry Ruby. I need to escort you to your doctor," the nurse said with a hint of sadness. The intense air had returned, and Ruby shivered at Ren's stern undertones. In a span of seconds _Ren_ was gone… and Nurse Lie had returned.

With no small amount of hesitance, she nodded and continued to follow the nurse down the long hallways of the hospital. The color scheme and structure of the corridors seemed homogenous, but betrayed the hospital's enormous size. As time wore on, Ruby passed by more and more staff members dressed similarly to Ren. They rushed about in brisk walks never sparing more than a passing glance at Ruby and her escort. The sheer size of the staff denoted to a huge and complex institution.

Too many questions filled Ruby's head that she nearly walked past Ren in her reverie. The nurse had come to a halt before a large oak door, watching her unabashed with an amused glance. Ruby tinted pink before meekly returning to his side.

Hanging upon the door was a silver plate embedded with words _Dr. Alan Hill_. Ruby mouthed the name wordlessly without any spark of recognition.

Ren gave the oak a series of polite knocks before opening the door slightly to poke his head in,

"Nurse Lie bringing patient Ruby Rose with an update on her condition," he stated plainly as Ruby strained her ears to listen to the doctor's muffled response.

"Miss Rose? Ah yes, please bring her in."

Ren opened the door fully and prodded Ruby gently to enter. With a brief stumble the huntress crossed the room's threshold, embarrassed at herself for her clumsy display.

Her eyes immediately focused on the doctor. Dressed in a white coat similar to Ren's he seemed to be taller and larger. His back was turned from the visiting pair, his gaze instead looking past a large glass window that dominated the room. Ruby suppressed a distressed whine, he seemed a villain straight out of a comic book!

The office itself however, seemed incredibly normal. Several shelves and bookcases lined the walls of the room, encircling a large wooden desk that held a plethora of papers. There was a squat metal filing cabinet next to the window presumably filled with patient credentials and forms. Paintings and photos of nature hung from the walls, interrupted only by a series of licenses and diplomas. Ruby was too far to read the fine print but they looked terribly official. The room was incredibly organized. To the point that it might have even passed Weiss' ridiculous standards.

"Ruby Rose, good morning and welcome. Please take a seat," the doctor said, turning from his position by the window. A gesture towards two plush chairs in front of his desk accompanied his words. Her body still aching, Ruby quickly acquiesced and settled herself into one of the soft chairs.

Dr. Hill seemed… nice if a little off. His warm and inviting demeanor matched Nurse Lie's except with a slight lack of sincerity. A well-practiced tone of warmth. A façade. Ruby held back a tremble of apprehension. She looked instead to Ren, who had placed himself in front of the door. Her only exit.

The nurse seemed to take her look as a call for help. Ren coughed purposefully, drawing the doctor's attention away from the small huntress, "Ruby awoke this morning with symptoms matching severe retrograde amnesia. I brought her to you as soon as I could."

Dr. Hill regarded Ren's words, before slowly making his way back to his desk, his hands brushing idly by the corners of the oaken furniture, "As soon as possible? Does that mean poor Ruby here has not had her breakfast?"

At the mention of food Ruby's stomach sounded its displeasure, she gave the doctor a sheepish grin. Nurse Lie however stilled immediately, "Sir I… I thought perhaps Ruby should see you first, before she had her breakfast."

The huntress frowned at Ren's squeamish tone. Nurse Lie may or may not be her friend, but she did not like how the conversation was going. If Ren had taken her to eat breakfast of all things before answering her questions Ruby might have gone crazy.

"Please, I was the one looking for answers, don't blame Re- Nurse Lie," the huntress said quietly. She gulped as the doctor began studying the two carefully. Abruptly, he sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Very well. Nurse Lie, do remember that your chief concern is taking care of the patients. Symptoms and treatment should be left for the patients' doctors such as myself."

Ruby did not like the doctor's tone of voice, but Ren seemed to be relaxing and looking less like a fuse about to blow. The doctor seemed a little mean, but she kept such opinions to herself.

"Now Ruby, do you remember anything at all?" the doctor had turned his attention back on her, casually prodding as he settled comfortably into his chair. Dr. Hill reminded Ruby a little of Ozpin, if Ozpin lost his kind and grandfatherly air whilst wearing contact lenses.

"I don't remember anything! Why am I here? All I remember was falling asleep in my dorm room at Beacon and saying goodnight to Yang, Weiss, and Blake, and today was supposed to be the first day of our second semester and I had so many plans and I just-" Ruby took a sheepish breath, "I'm – I'm so confused! Where am I? How did I get here from Beacon? Who are you?! What is going on?!"

Ruby blinked to find herself standing, a lone finger pointed at the doctor. Dr. Hill met her narrowed eyes with a placid expression and seemed to consider her tirade carefully. Turning as red as her namesake, Ruby slowly sat herself down. She could almost feel the air of tension that had dominated the room. Sparing a glance behind her, Ren was many steps closer to her chair and seemed as coiled as a raging bull. She gulped audibly.

"Ruby please. Calm down and I shall answer all your questions," the doctor replied with a patient look. Ruby turned to Ren, who gave her a pointed look. The tension in his face evident for her to see. Grumbling, she sat back down petulantly. The doctor gave a reassuring glance to the nurse before continuing, "Ruby… you are here because you are sick."

The huntress blinked, "I am?" she played off innocently. Ruby was as Weiss would say a 'dunce' but it did not take a rocket scientist for her to know she was somehow a patient here. In a mental institution of places. Ridiculous!

"You have been a guest with us for some time and I am afraid you might be suffering a relapse of your condition," Dr. Hill stated plainly, his hands drawing circles upon his desk, "You were admitted into our care by your family."

"My condition? My family?" Ruby laughed aloud. Who were these people? Yang, her father, Uncle Qrow, there was no conceivable reason for them to send her to some hospital, "and what exactly, am I suffering from doctor?"

"Ruby, in the time you have been with us you have been diagnosed with several mental disorders ranging from severe schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder."

The huntress gaped. Her eyes wide in a confused daze.

"Ruby. You have suffered from several relapses into acute delusions and paranoia. This is why you are under our care, we are here to help you get better so you may adapt to life outside the hospital."

Silence reigned, as the doctor's words hung in the air. Ruby continued to stare at the man from across his desk. Mouth agape, her face lines wrinkled in disbelief. Then she giggled. A small giggle that turned into a series of chuckles. Chuckles that evolved into full blown laughter, laughter that brought tears to her eyes as she struggled for breath.

"Ok doc. Thank you for this, this was great. Is Yang nearby? Please tell her that this was a really funny and elaborate prank – and that I'm sorry for forgetting her birthday present last year," the huntress stood on her seat, scanning the room. Ready for her sister or uncle to reveal themselves. Scrolls and cameras at the ready with a fantastic cry of surprise.

The room's empty response haunted her. A dark shadow falling upon her face as the huntress silently sat back down. A familiar pit of despair pronounced its existence from within her chest as if she was infested with a thousand bugs eating their way out of her heart. She tried to speak – to say anything - but doubt stopped her like a great weight bearing down upon her.

Dr. Hill continued to look at her impassively. Content to shuffle papers on his desk as Ruby struggled with indecision. Somewhere she found her courage, the bravery that had emboldened her to become a huntress – a slayer of monsters, "This is ridiculous! I demand you release me! I want to see my sister! I want to see Yang!" she punctuated her words by banging her fists upon the doctor's wooden table. The massive piece of furniture groaning under her strength.

Ren moved to intercept her, but Dr. Hill dismissed the nurse with a wave of his hand, "Please understand Ruby, you have been in our care for many years. The hospital is here to help you. We will contact your sister for a visit as soon as possible if you wish, but you must calm down."

"Calm down?" Ruby asked viciously, her hands tightened into small fists, "All you people have done since I've woken up is tell me to calm down! How would you like it if you suddenly woke up in a place you've never been before surrounded by people you have never met? How can I believe what you are telling me? I've never experienced delusions before in my life!" she finished her tirade with a deep breath, her glare meeting the doctor's placid expression. Vaguely she realized she had spent several seconds simply screaming at a man – something which she had never done and which her family would likely not approve – but she was too upset to care.

"Nurse Lie? Please retrieve Miss Rose's file from my cabinet," Dr. Hill asked, a picture of calm in the maelstrom that was the nurse. Ren was as poised and controlled as an alligator, ready to pounce upon Ruby in a moment's notice.

The nurse complied with the doctor's request. Slowly making his way around the doctor's desk while keeping a close eye on Ruby's movements. The huntress was insulted, but said nothing. Ruby contented herself with glaring angrily at the calmly smug medical professional before her. If he was even a doctor at all.

"Here, Ruby. These are the documents your parents signed. Copies of your birth certificate, medical history, and schooling record are also attached," Dr. Hill said, pushing the folder of documents on his desk to her. A file of standard yellow with the words _Patient Ruby Rose_ emblazed upon the top. It seemed to be chockful of papers and worn with age.

Ruby eyed the manila folder suspiciously, before she snatched it away to her side of the desk. Quickly, she leafed and scanned through the first several documents. A myriad of forms that declared her status as a patient of the doctor, her diagnosis from a family physician before – ultimately – admittance into the Grimm Institute of Mental Health… several years ago. They were all signed with official signatures by her parents. Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose.

Ruby laughed. She thumbed through the rest of the documents, noting a seemingly legitimate birth certificate and pages upon pages of legal jargon and records. It did not matter. She had got them. The discrepancy upon her files that proved their illegitimacy. Weiss would be so proud of her ability to read through such complicated text.

"These papers all look very official," Ruby smiled slyly, "but whatever you and you're group are trying to pull I can see right through it! It says here that I never went to Signal Academy and that I was admitted when I was twelve years old so the dates don't make any sense. Also, you forgot one important thing!" she took a breath, letting her words hang for effect. With one swift motion she brought the first page, the patient registration and declarations form to bear – her free hand pointing towards her parents' fraudulent signatures, "You have both my father's and my mother's signatures, which is impossible! My mother passed away when I was only four!"

Ruby triumphantly fanned the page in Doctor Hill's smug face. The huntress barely able to suppress her glee at the doctor's expression of confusion. Whatever this place was, they had attempted to pull the wool over Ruby Rose's eyes – but she was not having it! She was not sick! She was not crazy! They were trying to trick her and now Ruby had won.

The silence was deafening, but even more so was the doctor's growing expression of realization. Ruby continued to wave the paper at his face, but he seemed to be looking past the document. Straight at her. With an expression of… pity? Sadness?

The sinking feeling returned and Ruby found herself somehow choked up in her throat. As if she were drowning.

"Ruby," the doctor whispered as he shook his head sadly. He grasped her folder with a sweep of his hand, before taking out a small piece of paper that she had missed. No, it was a photograph. Gently – tenderly, as if he the photograph was made of glass he placed it upon his desk. She strained to look.

Ruby felt the blood drain from her face. Shaking hands dropped her patient's registration form, the file quickly forgotten. The room seemed to be shaking.

 _No_

The room wasn't shaking. It was her – she was shaking. She felt her limbs go slack.

 _It can't be_

A twelve year old Ruby stood happily smiling in front of a building cradling a very familiar little dog. Alongside her, a sign with the words _Grimm Institute of Mental Health_ declared in dark lettering. She wore a bright red dress – the same dress she had kept at home when left for Signal. Tanned arms were around her, arms that were attached to a beaming face and a shock of bright blonde hair. Her sister. The same beaming smile and burgeoning build from when Yang was growing from girl to woman. Above them was their father. Taiyang. Big and tall, seemingly in the middle of raucous laughter. The expression matched him perfectly. Next to him…

Next to him a pale woman. A woman with soft features and dark hair tinted red who wore a white cloak that seemed to be flowing in a breeze. Two delicate hands grasping lovingly on little Ruby's shoulders. It was as if Ruby was staring at an older version of herself. Summer Rose.

 _Mom?_

A small puddle was forming upon Dr. Hill's desk. Ruby gasped lightly in surprise, her fingers meeting her face. She was crying? When had she started crying?

For the first time the doctor seemed uncomfortable, "Ruby… a consistent factor of your delusions is the death of your mother. Your mother however, is very much alive," the doctor said with a look of pity. Ruby jerked in surprise as a hand patted her shoulder. Nurse Lie's – the man looking as uncertain as the doctor. The huntress did not brush his hand away.

Dr. Hill seemed to take the gesture as the signal to continue, "Ruby. Your mother cares for you very deeply. In fact, she was the person who sent you here into our care."

The doctor offered her a smile that did not quite meet his eyes. She attempted to respond back with… something. To reveal on her face what her words could not.

Hope. Despair. Elation. Anger.

She did not know.

She did not know.

* * *

Authors' Note:

This is a product of one writer's wandering imagination and another writer's biting criticisms.

It would mean the world to us if you reviewed and told us what you think.

Volt: Somebody has to feed my internet ego after all

Tear: And I love it when people needlessly over-analyze small details, its what I do all day!

Volt: It makes watching movies with this guy _awful_.

Tear: Speaking about movies, there may be a few references hidden within the chapter... so remember to keep your eyes open!

Volt: Thanks for reading!


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